1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soldering iron cleaning apparatus which removes the solder remaining on the soldering head in such a way that solder debris is ejected from the soldering head in one direction.
2. Description of Related Art
Various soldering iron cleaning apparatuses have been proposed, and some are in actual use, as devices which remove debris remaining on the soldering head of a soldering iron.
Conventional soldering iron cleaning apparatuses remove remaining solder by applying a force to the soldering head, for instance, using a removing member such as a brush.
In these conventional devices, a removing member, such as a brush, ejects hot molten debris in random directions, and it is desired that the entire removing process be completed inside the device from the view point of safety.
Although such a contained constitution successfully prevents the hot molten solder debris from spattering outwards, it inevitably causes a substantial shortening of the service life of the device because the adhesion of debris degrades the moving mechanisms inside the apparatus.
An object of the present invention is to provide a soldering iron cleaning apparatus which can remove solder from a soldering head of a soldering iron while preventing solder debris from adhering to the mechanical structures in the cleaning apparatus.
In order to achieve the object, the soldering iron cleaning apparatus of the present invention comprises: a main body having an introduction hole through which the soldering head of the soldering iron can be inserted; a motor; a sensor mechanism 54 which detects the insertion of the soldering head into the introduction hole and activates the motor; a cleaning member which removes solder remaining on the soldering head; and a power transmission mechanism which drives the cleaning member by the driving force of the motor. The power transmission mechanism rotates the cleaning member by the driving force of the motor in such a way that the cleaning member scrapes the external surface of the soldering head from the base side to the tip side of the soldering head while turning the cleaning member around the soldering head.
According to this apparatus, because the cleaning member scrapes the external surface of the soldering head from the base side to the tip side of the soldering head while turning around the soldering head, it is possible to spatter the soldering debris in the forward direction of the soldering head, and the adhesion of solder debris to the mechanical structures in the cleaning apparatus can thereby be prevented. Therefore, in comparison with a conventional cleaning apparatus which can spatter solder debris irregularly in all directions, it is possible to prolong the service life of the cleaning apparatus.
The power transmission mechanism may comprise: at least one planet gear which turns around the soldering head inserted into the introduction hole while rotating around its axis when it receives the driving force of the motor; a support member which is combined with the planet gear so as to turn around the soldering head together with the planet gear; a shaft which supports the cleaning member with respect to the support member so as to freely rotate around the shaft; and a second transmission mechanism which turns the cleaning member around the shaft by transmitting the rotational force of the planet gear to the cleaning member. The axis of the shaft is set perpendicular to the plane containing the turning axis of the support member.
In this case, it is possible to simplify the mechanical structure of the power transmission mechanism.
The cleaning member may comprise a flexible material which scrapes solder from the soldering head. This is more likely to optimize the conditions for removing the debris.
A plurality of the cleaning members may be radially fixed on the shaft, and each of the cleaning members may comprise a flexible material, with one end of each cleaning member being fixed to the shaft, and the other end scraping solder from the soldering head.